i believe every single dog should be crate trained. you just never know when a situation will come up and you will be forced to leave your dog at home for several hours. a crate is the safest place for him to be.

for housebreaking purposes, you don't want a crate that is too big. you want one big enough for your dog to be able to stretch out and stand up comfortably. if it's too big, a puppy might use one end as his potty. normally, most dogs don't like to potty where they sleep.

crates styles are really a preference. i like the wire crates and those can also safely be used for traveling. if it's a young dog, a new rescue or a little puppy, you can always toss a blanket over a wire crate to create sort of a "den".

if you end up getting a young puppy, you don't want to leave him in his crate for endless hours. puppies can't hold it for long and if you don't take him out to potty often enough, he will end up sleeping in his own mess simply because he has no other choice.

there is tons of information online for crate training techniques. it really isn't all that complicated but it does take dedication.

do you have a breed in mind for your pup?

Thanks, Nina. We're thinking of that "middle sized mutt from the pound" breed, probably under a year but not necessarily still in that cute, fluffy, baby stage.

It's tricky picking out a crate before a dog when you don't know what size or age dog you're getting (but I'd still like to have the crate first).

We don't plan on using the crate to just store the dog--there are always people around so it won't be stuffed in a box all day. The dog might appreciate a crate for some privacy, though. The kids will be trained first to leave the dog alone when in the crate. (That's the easy part.)

I suggest you keep in mind that some dogs hate crates. Best to put some treats in the crate, and walk away leave the door to the crate open the first couple of times and let the dog get use to the crate on its own terms. Good luck.